He Tiantian had no time to dwell on her lost love from a past life; she immediately received a call from Secretary Qi to mobilize the entire village to work on river dredging (water conservancy projects), removing the silt from the riverbed to facilitate irrigation the following year. Some areas needed higher flood barriers, others required reinforcement…
It's already autumn, and it must be finished before winter. The deadline is tight; it will take about twenty days in total.
It's about ten miles from Qijia Village. I go there in the morning and come back in the evening, eating lunch at the construction site. Besides lunch, I can earn 50 cents and 4 ounces of grain every day.
Although the work is tiring, it's profitable, providing food, so many people are willing to do it. Wang Lei and Zhang Qingshan went last year, and not only did they get enough to eat, they also earned some money, so they were very happy to do it.
Secretary Qi has organized 150 people in the village, and they will head there first thing tomorrow morning. As for tools, Secretary Qi and Director Zhao have also made a list, and they will all be provided by the villagers.
After the final mobilization, everyone was in high spirits.
Besides He Tiantian!
Because the distance wasn't too far, she had to get up early every morning to go to work and walk back in the evening. Not only was the work hard, but the round trip was also too far. Even though He Tiantian wasn't happy about it, she was still considered for the job of cleaning the river.
This time, there are not only positions for heavy work, but also positions for cooking or lighter work on shore.
Secretary Qi was too embarrassed to give all the spots to his close relatives, so it was He Tiantian's turn to cook.
In a village, lunchtime requires a lot of ingredients, so it must be prepared well so that everyone can eat well.
Cooking on the shore was tiring, but compared to those who went barefoot to work at the bottom of the river, He Tiantian felt it was already pretty good.
Early in the morning, He Tiantian and Qi Xiaoyan followed the main group to work at the Erdaogouzi River section, ten miles away.
"Sister Tian, it's so far, I'm tired from walking." Qi Xiaoyan said softly before they even arrived at their destination. The round trip was twenty miles every day.
He Tiantian smiled and said, "Your dad didn't want you to come, but you insisted on coming. Now that the spots have been filled, you can't not go. Besides, everyone's not walking fast, so just follow along slowly. I'll be with you."
Qi Xiaoyan was a little tired, but not so tired that she couldn't get up, so she just complained to He Tiantian.
"The two of us are responsible for feeding more than 150 people today. I don't know if we can manage," Qi Xiaoyan said with a hint of worry, looking at the two large pots and steamers used by the production team being pulled on the oxcart in front of her.
"What are you afraid of? Besides us, there's Director Zhao too. I heard she often handles these kinds of tasks, so she'll take care of it. We're just two small fry; all we have to do is get things done," He Tiantian comforted her. "You're young; you should be full of energy. Don't start worrying before anything even happens."
Qi Xiaoyan always felt encouraged by He Tiantian's words, which is why she enjoyed spending time with her – it was full of positive energy!
When we set off in the morning, the sky was overcast, but by the time we reached Erdaogouzi, it was already bright daylight. Everyone ate something simple at home that morning, and then Secretary Qi led them to the two-kilometer stretch of river assigned to Qijia Village.
A wooden board was stuck in the ground with the words "Qijia Village" written on it.
"Alright, let's stop here." Secretary Qi said loudly. "Director Zhao, take a few people and set up the cooking shed. Someone will be delivering grain here in a while."
Director Zhao smiled and said, "Secretary Qi, don't worry, I know how to do all of this. Just focus on leading your people down to work. I'll make sure everyone has a good lunch and drinks."
He Tiantian looked around. It was still the same place where she had dug the river in her previous life, but this time it was two hundred meters longer than before.
This is a large river, about fifteen meters wide and seven or eight meters deep. It is shallow on both sides and very deep in the middle, filled with withered yellow aquatic plants. Now, the water surface is only about three or four meters wide. This river is the main waterway of Taoyuan County, and irrigation is carried out from this river every year.
This is one of the reasons why the commune attached so much importance to this river.
These tasks were assigned to various villages; the sooner they finished, the sooner they could go home. After making arrangements with the two village officials, Secretary Qi personally led the team down to the river to work.
Director Zhao found two laborers to build a shed that was more than ten meters long. He also found some broken stones nearby and built two earthen stoves. He covered them with mud and let them dry for a while. They would be ready to use by noon.
Just as Director Zhao placed the two large pots on the table, the commune officials came to distribute grain. Today's rations for lunch were four ounces of flour for men and three ounces for women, along with a large radish, white scallions, a little oil, a little salt, and some ginger, garlic, and scallions.
"Sweetie, Little Swallow, you two hurry up and take the big basin to the stream over there to wash it. I need to start the dough (fermentation)." Director Zhao said, "After you've washed the basin, bring over a basin of water. It'll be perfect for washing the pots."
"Yes, Director Zhao." He Tiantian and Qi Xiaoyan responded and carried the huge wooden basin toward the stream.
The stream is very clear, and you can often see small fish in it.
He Tiantian thought to herself that if she had time later, she could catch some fish to make soup and let everyone have a taste.
He Tiantian and Qi Xiaoyan are both clean and diligent girls. They quickly washed the large basin and carried over a basin that was almost full of water.
"Pour the water into the pot, just leave a little bit," Director Zhao said. "I'm going to start proofing the dough. After you've cleaned the pot, take these steamers over and clean them too."
Qi Xiaoyan and He Tiantian diligently followed Director Zhao's instructions. In no time, they had cleaned the ten-layer steamer.
"Look, Sister Tian, there are fish in the river!" Qi Xiaoyan exclaimed in surprise. "If we have a fishing net, we can catch them and make soup."
“It’s no use talking about it today, we don’t have a fishing net. When we get back tonight, we’ll find one and catch fish tomorrow,” He Tiantian suggested. “I just heard Director Zhao say that we’ll be having steamed buns, stir-fried radishes, and stewed cabbage for lunch. If we catch some fish, we can make a fish soup so everyone can eat more.”
"Yes, fish soup is better than plain water!" Qi Xiaoyan agreed. Every year when they came home from the river, her father was very tired and needed a long time to recover. If they could eat better, perhaps everyone could become stronger and recover faster.
When the two men returned carrying the ten-layered steamer, Director Zhao was already kneading and proofing the dough.
"You two go to the nearby woods and find some firewood. We'll need it in half an hour. Hurry up," Director Zhao instructed He Tiantian and Qi Xiaoyan as soon as they returned.
Although none of them are heavy jobs, we can't just sit idle.
But this is for the best; it's not good that others are working in the river while they rest on the bank. Everyone can see them bustling about, and no one will gossip. (To be continued.)
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